I Swear on My Life
by pageslearntothink
Summary: Josh/Alex ("Second Chances" series OC pairing) AU series! :D Slash. Rated M because Alex is...Alex. (I don't own the cover image, but that's pretty close to Jalex *0*) WARNING: SINK OR SWIM SPOILERS
1. Maybe it could have been different

**So this series will be a bunch of random Josh/Alex oneshots...most of them will be AU, and I suppose unrelated, but I thought I might torture you guys with this first (seeing as I'll be starting _Who are You Now?_ tomorrow). ;)**

**I might end up writing AU multi-chapters for Jalex. Idk yet.**

**Also, I've got a playlist on Spotify called _Who are You Now? - Inspiration Playlist_ that includes the songs that I listen to while writing for the story. I can't explain why I find inspiration from some of them, but most of them, as the story progresses, I'm sure if you can see why. :) Check it out! My username is _pageslearntothink_! And while you're checking that out, give _Corazón_** **(Jalex inspired playlist. I've been adding songs to it lately) ****a listen as well! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Now, I am going to lie down and sleep." Alex announced, tossing his jacket onto the foot of Josh's bed. He jumped onto it, ruffling the comforter in the process, and tucked his hands under his head. He looked over at Josh as he turned on the TV and plopped down in his beanbag chair. Alex sighed, sitting up and crawling to the edge of the bed until his head was right above Josh's shoulder as he set up his game. Alex pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's temple and then lowered his mouth to his ear. "Come on, I'm in your bed and you want to play video games?"

"Alex," Josh mumbled warningly, jerking the joystick around a little as the game counted down until it started. He stood up and Alex grinned triumphantly, but Josh opened his desk drawer and pulled out a box. He clipped a _Kontrol Freak_ onto the right joystick as the match began.

Alex frowned. "At least just cuddle with me? Keep me warm?"

Josh's eyes remained trained on the screen.

Alex glared at the screen.

"Fine," Josh sighed, standing up, without directing his focus elsewhere, and backed up until he was lying on the bed, his head propped up by a pillow.

Alex scoffed. "You care more about video games than you do me."

Josh rolled his eyes, Alex kissed Josh's shoulder over his polo sleeve, and his player was shot from behind. As the killcam played, he turned to his boyfriend, waiting for a quick kiss. Alex grinned and pecked his lips before sliding under Josh's arm and resting his head on his chest.

"Wake me up if I sleep too long." He said groggily, closing his eyes, letting Josh's heart beat and the slow rise and fall of his chest lull him to sleep.

* * *

Josh arched his back in attempt to stretch, from underneath Alex, without waking him up. He tossed his controller onto his beanbag chair and smiled down at Alex when he looked up at him tiredly.

"Do I need to wake up?" He moaned.

"No," Josh chuckled, rolling onto his side. "I'm going to nap as well."

"Good," Alex grinned lazily, smoothly slipping an arm under Josh's neck and his other around Josh's side. He silently let his dark brown eyes flit over Josh's face, from his thin pink lips to his long dark eyelashes. He leaned forward and brushed a kiss against Josh's forehead. Josh's breathing quickly became deeper, and Alex's fingers moved on their own accord, his left hand tracing things onto Josh's back. First it was a heart, then it was a star, then it was _Corazón_, then it was _I love you_. His hands froze for a moment, and then he repeated _I love you_, over and over again, tracing the letters over Josh's shoulder blades, his spine, his lower back, and the back of his neck.

Alex's eyelids began to feel heavy again and he gently pressed his forehead against Josh's, his body already relaxing into sleep, when he suddenly heard,

"I love you, too, Baby," in the softest whisper Alex had ever heard from Josh.

Alex opened his eyes, meeting Josh's sea blue orbs and pulled his hands away from Josh's back to grab onto his head, thumbs hooked under his ears so he could stroke his thumbs over Josh's cheek bones. Alex pushed his head across the little distance between their faces and kissed Josh's lips. One of Josh's hands slipped onto Alex's back and pressed their bodies together, and one of his legs hooked around Alex's.

"That's what I'm talking about," Alex said breathlessly against Josh's mouth.

* * *

**So...I suppose the 53rd chapter on _Sink or Swim_ could've gone differently...but then we wouldn't have _Who are We Now?_ would we? :)**

**"Paralyzed by my envy of the night. I am lost without here, and outside it looks like rain. For the last time, I'll bleed myself dry tonight. And nothing I could ever write will help you understand this life. There's so much beauty when your eyes lay lost in all the city lights. The wax will drip as so as blood. Romance is dead and all is lust. You are the water in my lungs. We've lost it... We are all alone!" -City Lights, Motionless In White**

**-Rachel**


	2. The Laughing Emoji

**Hey! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this so far! :D**

**This is kind of an AU where Josh and Alex aren't dating, they're just pretty good friends. :3**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Josh stared down at his phone and gnawed at his bottom lip. He took a deep breath, his body going rigid, and then his thumb tapped down on the send button. He jumped and chucked his phone at his bed, standing up from his desk chair. The cellphone bounced off of the king size mattress and thudded onto the floor.

"What did I just do?" He hissed to himself, pulling his long fingers through his blond hair. "Shit."

* * *

Alex yawned, dropping his backpack onto the floor next to the front door of his house. He gripped his shirt between his shoulder blades and pulled it over his head as he made his way to his bedroom. When his cell phone chimed after receiving a text message, he opened it, squinting at the bright screen and stumbling around his room to get out of his jeans in the dim lighting that his lava lamp provided. The words blurred, and then melted together, and he recognized that it was from Josh. He chuckled groggily, barely paying the text any attention.

After two years of being friends and texting every day, one would think that Josh would learn by now that Alex is much too tired after work to reply to a text. But he made an exception for Josh and sent him a laughing emoji in reply without a second thought.

Then, with a tired breath, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep on top of the unmade covers.

* * *

Josh stopped pacing his room and his gaze drifted over to the spot his phone had fallen off of his bed. Someone had texted him. He swallowed thickly and crossed the room, picking it up, and sitting on the floor, leaning back against his bed. He unlocked the device and sucked in a breath when he saw Alex's reply.

Josh clenched his teeth and sent another text before getting up off the floor so he could turn off the light and try to get some sleep.

* * *

Blinking at the harsh light of the morning sun, Alex rolled onto his side and blindly grabbed for his cell phone on the floor. His eyebrows furrowed when a text from Josh was the first thing to pop up.

_Josh: K sorry I hope we can still be friends_

"What?" Alex mumbled, slipping a hand through his dark brown hair as he climbed out of his bed. He opened the conversation and swiped to the first message from Josh.

_Josh: I'm in love with you_

Alex's heart leaped in his chest and he laughed happily, a grin spreading across his face as his eyes fell on his reply to the text.

A laughing emoji.

Alex's grin dropped.

And then Josh's reply was 'K sorry I hope we can still be friends.'

_K sorry I hope we can still be friends._

Alex's eyes widened and he quickly typed a reply to Josh's apology,

_Alex: WAIT NO IM IN LOVE WITH YOU TOO IM SORRY_

Without first considering if Josh was awake or not, he called him and held the phone to his ear as he quickly pulled a pair of clean jeans on. He ripped a random shirt out of his closet and pulled it on as he hurried out of his room. Josh picked up on the last ring when Alex was just sticking a toothbrush into his mouth.

"Hello?" Josh mumbled tiredly.

"I'm so fucking sorry!" Alex exclaimed, around his toothbrush. "I was so tired last night when I saw your text and I wasn't thinking, but I'm not going to throw out any excuses—I love you. Oh, fuck, I love you so much, Josh."

"Really?" Josh asked, sounding more alert now.

"Of—" he bent over and spit into the sink. "—Of course I do! Shit, I am so sorry for the emoji! I didn't mean it. I swear, if I hadn't been so tired last night, I would've read your text, and I would've been running to your house just so I could kiss you."

Josh was silent for a second. "And now?"

"I'll be over in three-point-five minutes." Alex laughed, rushing out of his house.

* * *

When Josh saw Alex jogging down the street, he stood up, about to speak, but Alex grabbed his head in his hands and pulled him in for a deep kiss that prompted Josh to grab a hold of Alex's sides as if he was afraid Alex would disappear at any second. As if he was a dream.

"Will you go out with me?" Josh murmured against his lips when Alex refused to let him move away more than a couple centimeters, but he wasn't complaining.

"Yes, a million times yes," Alex breathed, leaning forward again.

* * *

**I'm really killing myself with these because they're not actually together anymore. Like this is literally what happened with Jara. I got so attached to the characters that I refuse to let them go and now I'm writing fanfics for them...**

**"I used to be a ghost, floating aimlessly, so they couldn't see, what I think hurts the most. I felt like it made me, hate me. But I won't apologize for being different, I can be who I am, and yeah, I felt so dead inside, but now I feel so alive for the first time." -Feel, Sleeping With Sirens**

**-Rachel**


	3. Lover's Delight

**Lover's Delight is a sundae you can get at Crown Candy. Idk if Brits have Crown Candy Kitchens, but it's a pretty magical place. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Alex Burke pulled the glass door of the ice cream shop open and stepped into the less than warm room. He walked up to the counter, about to give his order to Josh (the hot guy Alex _never ever _gawked at when he came to the shop), but Josh slid a sundae to Alex; a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a scoop of chocolate ice cream, topped with crushed pecans, cubed pineapple and strawberry sauce with slices of banana, whipped cream and a fresh cherry. Alex took it slowly, meeting Josh's eyes in slight confusion.

"You come in here every time you're feeling down and order the Lover's Delight, which is often," Josh turned around, flashing him an amused smile over his shoulder, "like, a lot."

Alex smiled a little, dropping his money onto the counter and moving to sit down in the corner of the room so he had a perfect view of the counter and Josh, the hot guy that he _never ever _gawked at.

* * *

"It's on the house," Josh said, sliding the Lover's Delight across the counter.

Alex shook his head. "I can pay for it."

"Oh, please, we both know you're broke," Josh scoffed. "Don't worry about it."

Alex smiled. "Thanks, Josh."

"Don't get used to it, Alex," Josh smirked.

Alex stopped in his tracks, looking back at the counter, but Josh had already disappeared into the backroom before he could ask him how he knew his name.

* * *

"Do you ever feel like school's not your thing?" Alex asked, scooping some chocolate ice cream and pecans into his mouth. "Like, no matter how hard you try, you just feel stupid because you just get everything wrong?"

Josh handed a waffle cone to the little boy at the counter. When the mother paid, Josh stored the money in the cash register and turned to Alex. "Yeah, sure, why?"

"I always feel so stupid doing school because everything I learn never sticks with me."

"Except the stuff that's interesting to you," Josh added.

"Yeah, exactly," Alex nodded absentmindedly, staring after Josh as he headed into the backroom.

* * *

Josh's blue eyes glanced at Alex's left wrist. His fingers lazily held the long spoon and lifted it to his mouth—and Josh's eyes wandered to Alex's lips as they closed around the end of the spoon. Josh wet his lips with a quick flick of his tongue and his eyes returned to stare at the white scars that crisscrossed over Alex's tan skin.

"Do you want to know how I got these scars?" Alex asked, imitating Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker.

Josh sighed softly when he was caught and leaned forward on the counter. He arched an eyebrow as Alex stood from the table next to the counter and came up to the counter.

"When people are hurting, they do stupid things," Alex said, licked a drop of melting ice cream off the handle of the spoon and then held it up, his scars on display for only Josh to see. "Exhibit A."

Josh didn't say anything, his jaw clenched a little too hard.

Alex bit the cuff of his sweatshirt sleeve on his right wrist, pulling the fabric down. "Exhibit B."

Josh relaxed when his eyes met dark brown ones.

Alex leaned forward with a small, teasing smile. "However...you'll have to wine and dine me to see exhibit C."

* * *

Alex crisscrossed his legs as he sat on the counter. The ice cream shop was empty except for him and Josh, who was sitting on the counter, between the cash register and the ice cream display freezer, with a straw between his thin lips as he sipped from a chocolate-strawberry malt.

"Do you ever feel like your life isn't going anywhere?" Alex asked.

Josh met his eyes and nodded.

Alex poked at his sundae. "It's a sucky feeling, isn't it?"

Josh nodded again.

* * *

"How you doing?" Josh asked Alex, scooping some vanilla ice cream into a bowl.

"Peachy," Alex replied, eyeing Josh's rushed movements. "Hey, take your time; it's okay that you forgot about me."

"I didn't. I overslept. I stayed up all night playing a video game. I made it to level 28 and I couldn't stop myself," Josh's neck reddened a little in embarrassment and he drizzled some strawberry sauce over the top of the pecans and pineapple.

Alex smiled fondly, cocking his head and admiring the sight of Josh's shoulder blades poking through his gray V-neck while he turned around to scoop some sliced bananas onto the top of the sundae. As he twisted back to Alex, he sprayed some whipped cream onto the top and handed it to him. Alex's straight white teeth grazed against his bottom lip as he looked up at Josh through his eyelashes. "You forgot the most important part."

"Oh, right, the cherry," he huffed, dragging a hand through his damp hair, which looking darker than blond while it was wet, and he dropped a cherry into the whipped cream.

"Keep the change, Joshua, you deserve it," Alex grinned.

Josh rolled his eyes, handing him his change anyway.

* * *

"Being a teenager sucks because sometimes, you're just so sad for no reason at all," Alex grumbled when he walked up to the counter. "Or is that just me?"

"Not just you," Josh assured him and slid the Lover's Delight over to Alex.

* * *

"She's so cute," Alex grinned, staring at the picture of Gracie, jumping in a bouncy-house. He reached over the counter and took a handful of pecans from a bowl.

"She's a Clarke," Josh joked.

"I miss being a kid, when the hardest decision in life was picking which crayon to use," Alex sighed.

Josh stole a pecan from Alex's hand and tossed it into his mouth. "Growing up is a trap."

"You can say that again."

* * *

"Do you have insecurities?" Alex asked, stepping into the backroom and setting the emptied sundae bowl in the sink with the rest of the dishes that had to be cleaned.

"You're not allowed to be back here," Josh sent him a look over his shoulder as he opened a new tub of strawberry ice cream and carried it back into the main room, dropping it into the freezer.

"Don't avoid the question," Alex said with a roll of his eyes.

"Everyone has insecurities, Alex; it's what makes us human," Josh replied.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Yes, I do," Josh stated truthfully, leaning back on the counter as he folded his arms across his chest.

"How do you stop them from ruling your life?"

Josh bit down on the inside of his cheek as he stared at Alex with a calculating look. "By knowing that the only opinion that matters is the opinion of the person that'll think I'm perfect, flaws and insecurities included."

"There are people like that?"

"It's called love, Alexander," Josh smirked, squeezing his shoulder as he disappeared into the backroom again.

* * *

"You got time to sit with me and listen to me complain about my oh-so-terrible life?" Alex mumbled, scraping the remaining strawberry sauce and chocolate ice cream off the edges of the bowl.

"I'm on break," Josh answered simply with a shrug and sipped from his malt. "What's up, doc?"

"Okay, don't interrupt me," Alex sighed, "There's this guy that I like but he's so frustrating because I don't know if he's gay or if he likes me, I mean, he's nice to me, but people can be nice for no reason, you know? He's so irritating, but at the same time, he's so sexy. I don't know what to do."

"Why don't you just ask him out?" Josh chuckled.

"What if he rejects me?" Alex challenged, biting the cherry off its stem and then popping the stem into his mouth.

"You never know unless you try."

Alex pulled the tied cherry stem out of his mouth and dropped it into his bowl with a scoff.

"Are you showing off?" Josh laughed.

"What? You think you can tie a cherry stem faster than me?"

"I know I can."

"Alright," Alex stood up and grabbed the bowl of cherries from behind the counter. He set it on the table between them and smirked, "Prove it."

They both plucked a cherry from the bowl and bit the cherry off the stem, and after Josh counted down to one, they placed the stems in their mouths and their tongues went to work to tie them quickly.

"Proved it," Josh said triumphantly, dropping his tied cherry stem into Alex's bowl.

Alex rolled his eyes, pulling his tied stem out of his mouth. "Done."

"Told you."

"Now who's the show off?" Alex laughed, following Josh into the backroom.

Josh grinned, dumping their dishes into the sink and turning around to Alex standing directly behind him. He hooked his fingers into Alex's belt loops, pulling his hips to his, and raised his head so their lips met. Alex's hands cupped Josh's neck, his thumbs stroking against his cheekbones, and he deepened the kiss with a groan clawing up his throat.

"Will you go out with me?" Alex requested breathlessly against Josh's lips.

"All you had to do was ask," Josh winked, pecking Alex's lips quickly.

* * *

**Ah, sometimes a little Jalex is so refreshing, yes? **

**"When everything turns to gray, I still see you. When the cold won't go away, I can still feel you. Even when the sky is falling, and I'm hanging on by a thread, I'm standing on the edge of nothing, but I know it's not broken, I know it's not broken yet." -Not Broken Yet, Juliet Simms**

**-Rachel**


	4. Well, he's no Kenicki

**Hey! More Jalex! YAY!**

**Idk if anyone noticed or not, but I discontinued _The Fog_, _The Worthy One_, _No one needs to know_, and _So Close Yet So Far _because they suck and I don't want to try to write them anymore. XD**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Josh Clarke tossed his car keys onto the kitchen counter in his apartment and shrugged out of his jacket, draping it over the back of the sofa on his way to the bathroom. He stopped short and looked down the hallway. A white, fluffy cat was curled up with Josh's tuxedo cat at the end of the hall.

"Rizzo, what are you…?" Josh demanded, walking down the hallway and then taking a step away from the felines when the white cat shot up and hissed.

Josh sighed, dragging a hand through his blond hair. "You belong to that Mexican guy down the hall, right?"

As the cats settled down in the corner again, Josh left his apartment and knocked on the fifth door from his.

The door whipped open almost immediately, revealing Alex Burke, the owner of the white cat in Josh's apartment. "Hey, can I help you?" He asked, his dark brown eyes flitting over Josh's body.

"I'm your neighbor, I live down the hall, and somehow you're cat got into my flat. He's cuddling with my cat."

"Snowball has a girlfriend?" Alex laughed.

"Yeah, can you come get him? He's shedding on my carpet."

"Oh, yeah, sure," he nodded, following Josh down the corridor. "Snowball, you little shit, what are you doing?" He swept his cat up into his arms and turned back to Josh. "How did he even get in here?"

"I don't know—"

"Maybe through that hole in your window?"

Josh looked over at his shoulder at the open window, where the screen was torn; the hole big enough to let a cat slip through. "Oh, Riz…"

"I'll bet it was Snow," Alex said apologetically, scratching Snowball's neck.

Rizzo purred, rubbing her sides against Josh's legs as she stepped between them.

"He's vicious, you know," Alex went on, "He tore my curtains to shreds last year."

"Don't worry about it." Josh said as he closed the window. "I'll take care of it."

"It's the least I could do, really. I insist."

Josh sighed.

"Just let me know how much I owe you, 'kay?"

And he left the apartment without another word.

* * *

Alex smiled when he looked through the peephole at Josh standing in the hallway outside of his apartment. He swung the door open. "What's up, buttercup?"

"I think your cat got Riz pregnant." Josh said bluntly, ignoring Alex's teasing expression.

Alex blinked. "Well, he's no Kenicki—"

"I'm serious, Alex. Rizzo's pregnant. I just got back from the vet. Your cat is the only male cat she's ever come in contact with. To my knowledge."

"Well, you've seen them! They're totally in love! Of course it was him. We must raise this little kitten family together!" Alex exclaimed excitedly.

"Why didn't you get him fixed?" Josh asked tiredly as Alex wrapped a hand around his upper arm and pulled him into the apartment.

"I moved here before you did—I didn't think he'd be a problem. He's usually so lazy." Alex explained, taking to wine glasses out of a kitchen cabinet. He opened a bottle of red wine and filled Josh's glass to the rim.

Josh stared at the glass. "And now I'm drinking wine with you?"

"We're celebrating," Alex shrugged. "To the kittens."

Josh refrained from rolling his eyes and clinked hi glass against Alex's. "So how do you want to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Well, I know someone that works at the animal shelter. Once the kittens are born, we can just take the over there. Unless you know of anyone that would like a kitten." Josh shrugged a shoulder.

After a couple sips of his wine, Alex filled his glass back to the rim, and did the same to Josh's. "Why can't we just keep them?"

"And do what? Have them live between the flats, like we're divorced parents with joint custody?" Josh scoffed. "Stop refilling my glass. Are you trying to get me drunk? It's not going to work."

Alex grinned. "Feel like a Pina Colada?"

"You're doing to make me a Pina Colada?"

"No, but we could go down to that bar at the end of the street and get wasted."

"I'd love to," Josh said sarcastically. "But I have to work in the morning."

"Raincheck?" Alex asked hopefully.

"Get back to me about the kittens, alright?" Josh said, making his way to the front door.

"Friday at eight?"

"Goodnight, Alex."

Alex sighed boredly, tipping the wine bottle over and refilling his glass a little more.

* * *

"Hey, how's Rizzo doing?" Alex asked, carrying a bag of takeout Chinese into Josh's apartment once the door swung open wide enough to let him in.

Josh watched Snowball pad in after Alex, hop onto the armchair in the living room, and snuggle up to Rizzo. "Fine," he mumbled, following Alex into the kitchen.

"What?" Alex asked, noticed Josh's questioning gaze.

Josh motioned to the food Alex was laying out on the counter.

"It's Chinese. You've had Chinese before, right?"

"Of course I have," Josh said, rolling his blue eyes. He finished tying his black necktie and ran a hand through his hair when the house phone began ringing. "Hello?"

Alex purposely came up behind Josh, reaching into a cabinet above the counter to grab two dinner plates.

Josh froze, feeling Alex pressed up behind him, momentarily distracted. "I'm sorry, who is this?" He laughed at himself. "Hey, Louisa."

Alex glanced at the phone curiously.

"Yeah, I'll be there in five," Josh promised. "Love you, too." He turned to Alex. "Sorry, mate, I've got plans. You shouldn't just pop in."

"Right," Alex grumbled and began packing up the food.

"Raincheck, alright?"

"Whatever."

"Did I do something wrong?" Josh questioned, laying a hand on Alex's shoulder as he stormed past him toward the door.

"Nope. Have fun tonight, _mate_," Alex said coldly. "Come on, Snowball."

* * *

Josh smiled when Alex opened his apartment door. "Hey."

Alex blinked. "Hi."

"Busy?"

"No, why—?" Alex grunted in surprise when Josh took a hold of his wrist and gave him a tug, leading him down the hall to his own apartment. "What are you doing?"

"I had to take a raincheck last week," Josh reminded him.

"I know, but you really don't have to do this. You should hang with your girlfriend."

Josh stopped walking before they could make it through the door. "Girlfriend?"

"Yeah, Linda, or whatever her name is?"

Josh couldn't help himself: he burst out laughing, ignoring Alex's embarrassed expression.

"What?" He snapped.

"_Louisa_," he emphasized, "is my twin sister. Last week, I babysat my niece so Louisa and her husband could have a date night."

Alex's cheeks darkened a little. "Oh."

Josh smirked, pulling him the rest of the way into the apartment, where he had Chinese takeout and Pina Coladas waiting in the kitchen.

"I'm not really dressed for a date," Alex said hesitantly, looking down at his Iron Man pajama pants and white tank top.

"It doesn't matter. I don't think you'll be wearing your clothes all night anyway." Josh said suggestively, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye as he began serving himself some rice.

Alex's face broke out into a wide grin. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with this."

* * *

"Alex, wake up," Josh whispered, shaking his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Unless you're waking me up for morning sex, it's too early," Alex moaned, pulling Josh's duvet over his head.

Josh grinned. "I was getting ready for work, and guess what happened, baby?"

"What?" Alex whined, dragging the word out as he rolled around on the bed.

"Riz had the kittens."

Alex shot up immediately, wrapping his arms around Josh's shoulders as he jumped off the bed. "Seriously? Where are they? How many do we have?"

"Five, I think," Josh replied, leading him into the kitchen where Snowball and Rizzo were laying in the corner with kittens snuggled up to their mother.

"Six," Alex laughed, after he counted them. "Aw, can we keep them, Corazón?"

"One. We'll keep one. We'll give the others away." Josh said, sitting beside him on the tiled floor.

"Let's keep this one with the whole half and half thing working for him," Alex smiled, holding the black and white kitten up for Josh to see.

Josh gently stroked the kitten's white ear.

"They're so precious," Alex sighed, leaning back into Josh chest.

"Maybe we should get Snow fixed now." Josh suggested softly, pressing a kiss to Alex's temple, eyeing Snowball as he nudged Rizzo's head with his own. "Cats can have two litters a year, you know."

"Yep, Snow, you're done," Alex agreed, making Josh chuckle.

* * *

**Lol, endings are so not my strong-suit. :P**

**"Pull me closer to you, I can't escape this emptiness I fell into. Caught in a shadow I can't see through, I'm nothing without you. What have I become? Can't face the morning sun (just save me). You're the only one who can pull me out, save me from myself (just save me, just save me)." -Just Save Me, Like A Storm**

**-Rachel**


	5. Brownies

**This is short, but it's been a really long time since I last wrote a _drabble. _Like something that qualifies as a drabble. I like this one. It doesn't need to be long to be cute because it's Jalex. ;)**

**OW. I have sunburns on my shoulders. D:**

**And the inspiration playlist for _When Everything Turns to Gray _is up on Spotify. ;) See if y'all can guess who the oneshot is about!**

**Oh, and Happy Memorial Day! X**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Josh Clarke sighed heavily, forcing himself out of his desk chair and away from the essay he was writing so he could answer his dorm room door. Alex Burke stood on the other side, another student Josh recognized from a couple of his classes, as well as the star swimmer on the school's team.

"Hi," Alex breathed, his stare unwavering as he stood there without another word for a couple seconds before Josh greeted him in return, rocking him out of his thoughts. "Hi."

"You already said that," Josh smirked.

"Right, hi, look, exams are coming up and I bake when I'm stressed." He held out a pan of brownies. "Please take them, I have a dozen more sitting in the kitchen in my dorm."

Josh chuckled, taking the tray slowly.

Alex pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket and ripped it in half. "If you know of anyone that likes brownies, or cookies or cake or whatever—I'll be making everything under the sun, and then some—have them call me at this number. And this number is for you. You're hot. Call me."

Josh watched Alex rushed down the hallway and laughed, shaking his head as he kicked the door shut.

* * *

**Xx Love you guys! **

**"Shake it, baby, I don't mean maybe. Shake it, baby, you're driving me crazy. Shake it, baby, c'mon, c'mon. Shake it, baby, all right, all right. The way you walk, the way you talk. When you walking that walk, and talking that talk. I need you right now." -Boom Boom, The Animals**

**-Rachel**


	6. 5 Pickup Lines and 1 that Worked

**Hey!**

**This is my first time writing a "5+1" story so...yeah.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**1.**

Alex Burke pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket as he leaned against a tree in the park. He flipped his black lighter open and froze, his dark brown eyes landing on someone sitting on a park bench a few feet away from him. He plucked the unlit cigarette from his lips and walked over to the bench. He sat next to the blond and lit his cigarette. He breathed out the smoke and looked at the other guy out of the corner of his eye. "I would offer you a cigarette, but you're already smoking hot."

Josh Clarke licked his thin lips and looked up from his bag as he put his tablet away. He glanced at Alex, unamused. "Is that the best you can do?"

Alex shrugged a shoulder. "I didn't really think it through."

Josh nodded with a chuckle and stood up.

"I'm Alex, by the way," he called as Josh began walking away.

Josh turned back to him and continued to walk backwards. "I know. You go to my school."

* * *

**2.**

Alex leaned against the locker next to Josh's and smiled when he shut the door. "I think you're suffering from a lack of vitamin me."

Josh rolled his eyes and began walking down the school hallway. "Good morning, Alex."

Alex followed, falling into step with him. "That one didn't work either? I liked it a lot better than the last one."

"It was fine, except for the fact that my father used it on my mother this morning right before I walked in on them making out on the kitchen counter. So I don't really want to think about it."

Alex made a face. "Sorry."

A smile tugged at the corners of Josh's lips.

"So would you like to go out sometime?"

Josh stopped, turning to Alex with furrowed eyebrows. "With who?"

"Me, of course."

Josh shook his head. "Nah."

Alex blinked. "Why not?"

"I don't want to." Josh shrugged easily, and continued on his way to his next class, leaving Alex behind.

* * *

**3.**

Josh tucked his cell phone into his jeans pocket and walked up to the coffee shop counter after his name was called. He took his coffee from the girl behind the counter and was about to walk away when Alex appeared in his co-worker's place.

"I love your name, but I might as well call you Google, because you have everything that I'm looking for." Alex said with a smile, the dimple in his left cheek appearing.

Despite his annoying pickup lines, Alex had a way of making Josh smile, if just a little, even with his annoying pickup lines.

"Answer's still no, Alex." Josh replied, turning to join his friends at their table at the front of the shop.

* * *

**4.**

Josh dragged his fingers through his blond hair when Alex sat beside him in chemistry class. "You're not my partner."

Alex smiled, his brown eyes lighting up when they met Josh's blue ones. "I made Mason switch with me for today."

Josh nodded slowly.

Alex eyed Josh silently for a few seconds before speaking up, "You must be tired after everything we did in my dream last night."

Josh smiled a little. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Thinking about me?" Alex grinned cheekily.

"No, I had a really long talk with my boyfriend."

Alex seemed to shrink a little in disappointment. "Oh, I didn't know you were seeing anyone."

"He lives in the states. We decided that long-distance wasn't going to work for us anymore."

Alex thought about what he said and turned to him with his chin resting on the palm of his hand. "So the answer's still no, then?" He asked as their teacher walked into the room.

Josh shrugged apologetically.

* * *

**5\. **

Alex didn't speak to Josh for almost a month, but one Saturday, when they were standing in line to check out at the grocery store, he decided that he had waited long enough after Josh's break up with his boyfriend to hit on him again. He shifted on his feet, giving his pickup line zero thought, and lifting his left hand to his face so he could scratch over his eyebrow. "If I had a star for every time you brighten my day, I'd have a galaxy in my hand."

Alex assumed that his eyes had deceived him when he saw Josh jump a little in surprise, because it wasn't like Josh to be surprised.

Josh turned to face him briefly before moving up in the line and unloading the groceries he had in the basket he held onto the conveyer belt. "Now you're just getting cheesy," He said.

"You're not going to go out with me because it was cheesy, right?" Alex asked dryly.

"You're smarted than you look," Josh smirked, paying for the items he was picking up for his mother.

Alex groaned, hanging his head. "Damn it."

"Better luck next time." Josh flashed him a teasing smile and left the store.

* * *

**+1**

Alex reached out to grab Josh's arm and pull him to the side of the bustling main hallway of the school. "Kiss me if I'm wrong, but dinosaurs still exist right?"

Josh chuckled a little.

Alex shrugged sheepishly. "I know I'm losing my touch."

Josh shook his head, gripping Alex's chin, and pecked his lips. "One date." He stated, letting go of Alex's chin to hold up a finger.

Alex grinned, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets so he had something to with them. "Why now?"

"I want you out of my hair."

"Hey, you never know, this could be the beginning of something beautiful."

"This Friday, eight o'clock," Josh said and went on his way down the hall.

Alex watched him walk away and pumped his fist triumphantly.

* * *

**"Come on and state your case, don't leave me in the dark. I hear the silence on the line, yeah, all those broken parts. I gave you the part of me, the only one that you could see. Tell me it doesn't mean a thing. " -Don't Say Anything, Sleeping With Sirens**

**-Rachel**


	7. The Way You Look Tonight

**Hey! As usual, endings? Not my forte...**

***Quick question guys: Do any of you imagine a certain male actor/model/random-dude-you-found-on-google-images that you picture Josh and/or Alex as? I'd like to know what they look like to you guys. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"And we are officially moved in!" Alex Burke announced, kicking the box he emptied into the flat's common room.

Josh Clarke came into the kitchen, pulling a t-shirt over his head, and plucked the kettle from the counter. "Go get ready for bed, and I'll make you some tea for your throat."

"I'm not a child, Corazón. I'm not tired. And my throat doesn't hurt." Alex retorted, the scratch in his voice proving himself wrong.

Josh rolled his ocean blue eyes. "It's three in the morning, Alex."

Alex sighed heavily, turning away from Josh as he rubbed his throat with the tips of his fingers. "I'm suddenly really tired."

Josh turned to Alex's laptop on the kitchen counter while his boyfriend disappeared into their bedroom so he could change his clothes. He started a random playlist and lifted the kettle off the stove top before it could start whistling.

Alex shuffled into the room, wearing one of Josh's sweatshirts. He took his mug of tea from Josh gratefully and let his head fall forward, resting on Josh's shoulder. "My throat hurts."

Josh refrained from rolling his eyes and pecked behind Alex's ear. "You're probably getting sick, which is why we should get to bed."

Alex groaned, setting his mug down and wrapping his arms around Josh's shoulders. Josh's arms wound around Alex's waist reflexively.

_Lovely, never, ever change, keep that breathless charm. Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you, just the way you look tonight…_

Josh did roll his eyes when Alex began swaying them slightly but he didn't protest. Rubbing his hands up and down Alex's back gently. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Alex grinned against his neck. He turned his head away when he felt a familiar tickle in his throat, and he coughed, and groaned at the strain on his throat.

Josh pulled back and pushed his hand through Alex's dark brown hair, bringing his head down so he could press a kiss to his forehead. "You're burning up, baby. Come on, you need to sleep."

Alex reluctantly agreed and let Josh pull him into their bedroom.

* * *

**Prompt: ****Slow dancing to "The Way You Look Tonight" in their pjs in the kitchen of their new house at 3am with their heads resting on each other's shoulders.**

**That's from an AU post on tumblr, I think. **

**_I'm not taking prompts._ **

**Yet.**

**"The scars of your love remind me of us. They keep me thinking that we almost had it all. The scars of your love, they leave me breathless. I can't help feeling we could have had it all. " -Rolling In The Deep, Adele**

**-Rachel**


	8. You knew it

**Hey!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Oh, look at that annoyed face," Louisa Clarke commented, eyeing her twin brother's form when he stormed into her apartment.

"That must be a new record," Danni Miller joked, kicking one of her legs up and over the back of the sofa in the living room.

Josh collapsed into an armchair and dragged his fingers through his blond hair. "I was taking a photo for my photography class, but this guy's ass got in the way, and he knew it."

Louisa blinked slowly. "Did you see who it was?"

Josh was silent for a moment. "No." He slouched in the chair. "The point is, I didn't get that shot."

* * *

Josh refrained from sighing heavily in annoyance, holding his camera to his face. "In my light," he mumbled to the person standing next to him.

"Sorry," he said, a grin evident in his voice, as he stepped aside.

Josh snapped his photo and straightened, casting a glance at the person standing next to him. "Alex."

Alex Burke slipped his hands into his sweatshirt pocket and rocked back on his heels. "Hey."

Josh didn't say anything else and slipped his camera into its carrying case.

"How's the project for your photography class going?"

Josh lifted his head so he could glare at the slightly taller man. "I knew that was you. Jackass. That shot would've gotten me an A."

"It should still get you an A. You have to admit, I've got a pretty fantastic ass." Alex stopped and a smug look slipped onto his face as Josh began to walk away from him. "How did you know that it was my ass?"

Josh's steps faltered a little, but he kept walking and didn't say a word.

"Did I just render a Clarke speechless?" Alex laughed, jogging after him. "I heard that's quite the achievement."

Josh rolled his blue eyes.

"Did you keep the pic? I'd like a copy of it."

Josh couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"You've stared at my ass for so long, that you knew it instantly from a camera screen—"

"You did it on purpose. Why?" Josh asked, stopping in the middle of the yard in front of the university's main building.

"I wanted to get your attention," he shrugged.

Josh licked his thin lips. "Well, you got it. What do you want?"

"Let's start with a date, maybe?" Alex suggested hopefully.

Josh smiled a little. "This was all for a date? Why didn't you just come up and ask me like a normal person?"

"Who said I was a normal person?"

Josh shook his head, scratching the palm of his hand.

"Is that a yes?"

Josh shrugged a shoulder. "Promise me that you'll stay out of my shots from now on."

"You got it."

"Then, yeah, I'll go out with you."

* * *

**Prompt: I was taking photos for my college class but your ass got in one of the shots and you knew it.**

**"I'm holding onto white balloons, up against sky of doom. Tell me you see them. 'Cause what's inside of me is invisible to most, even in clear view. I'm sending out a signal to the possibility of you. 'Cause right at this moment, I know that you're connected to a part of me that I don't even know myself." -White Balloons, Sick Puppies**

**-Rachel**


	9. The ride home

**JALEX AND CHRISTMAS.**

**And I will be writing 12DoC! I have the first three chapters finished! :) It'll begin tomorrow!**

**Prompt and cred at the end of chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Josh switched off the radio in irritation. "If you sing one more Christmas song, I'm breaking the radio and kicking you out of the car while we're going sixty on the highway."

Alex stared at Josh in shock and then crossed his arms over his chest and _pouted._ "You're such a Scrooge sometimes, you know that?"

"I can't take one more rendition of _Santa Baby_ or _All I Want For Christmas Is You_. I don't care how cute you think you are."

Alex grinned, clicking the overhead light on, dimple appearing in his left cheek. "Oh, please, everyone knows I'm adorable."

Josh chuckled, leaning forward on the steering wheel.

"It's Christmas Eve, Joshy, please let me listen to some Christmas music!"

"You act like I never let you listen to Christmas music—our apartment has been oozing Christmas since you made me celebrate Thanksgiving with you."

"I didn't have anyone else to spend it with." He shrugged. "Speaking of celebrating, why didn't you ask Caleb to spend Christmas with you and your family?"

Josh looked at Alex with a deadpanned expression. "Maybe I don't want my dad kicking him out into the cold, Michael punching him, Louisa slapping him across the face, or Gracie kicking him in the shin." — ("Josh, your family is super violent.")— "He and my family have some bad blood between them. And I could ask you the same thing. Magnus didn't ask you to spend it with his family?"

"Joshua, everyone knows that you don't ask your boyfriend of one week to meet your family on Christmas." Alex said with a roll of his brown, almost black eyes. "Plus, I don't think my mom would appreciate flying all the way to _Iceland_ for one day and then flying back to the UK."

Josh smirked. "Besides, Christmas without the Burkes just isn't Christmas. We spent two Christmases with you two, we can never go back."

Alex laughed. "The only downside is that you and I can't kiss under the mistletoe! This sucks balls! You have the best lips. Man, is it hot in here?"

Josh laughed as well when Alex fanned himself.

Alex calmed down and looked at the rental car's digital clock. "Damn, it's almost Christmas. We were supposed to be at your parents' house yesterday, you know."

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't get a flight that didn't get cancelled." Josh scoffed.

"I didn't say anything—"

"No, no, my dad called me last night at the airport and he's like, 'Where are you guys? You were supposed to be here hours ago!' And I explained the whole flight being cancelled thing and he asks me why I didn't get an earlier flight—oh, I don't know, Dad, maybe because you told me not to come too early because the house wasn't ready for me to move back in for a few days."

Alex covered his face with his hands, chuckling into his palms. "I'm sorry…."

"Yeah, laugh all you want, I don't care." Josh mumbled and then turned on the radio. "There, happy?"

Alex responded by singing along with the song happily, "I don't need a lot of presents to make my Christmas bright, I just need my baby's arms uh-wound around me tight—"

"Tone deaf," Josh said under his breath and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Alex press his lips to his cheek quickly. "What was that for?"

Alex nodded to the clock, glowing _12:00_ in the dark. "Merry Christmas, Corazón."

Josh smiled softly. "Merry Christmas, Baby."

* * *

**Okay, they aren't even dating in this drabble. They aren't even getting together. This is just them as friends. They're dating other people. (Caleb and Magnus are characters that would be in the rewritten version of Second Chances whenever I get around to it.)**

**They're still adorable, even when they're just friends. ;)**

**(Prompt cred: maliayukiimura on tumblr) **If you sing one more Christmas song, I'm breaking the radio and kicking you out of the car. I don't care how cute you are, I can't take one more rendition of Santa Baby or All I Want For Christmas Is You.

**"Silver bells, silver bells, it's Christmas time in the city. Ring-a-ling, hear them ring, soon it will be Christmas day. City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style..." -Bing Crosby feat. Carol Richard**

**-Rachel**


	10. What happens in Santa's Cottage

**Idk.**

**Hey, I don't need any prompts for 12DoC, but if you want to prompt for Jalex you can do that! :) **

**Do you guys want me to start a series of Mimily oneshots? 'Cause I can totally do that. **

**Prompt and cred given at the end of the chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Alex ducked his head and walked through the small door of Santa's Cottage, closing it behind him while he watched his co-worker fix one of the corners of the cottage, where it had broken after an incident with a rather rambunctious child. "Everything okay?"

The blond looked at him over his shoulder and then stood up, crouching a little, like Alex was, so he would hit his head on the ceiling. "All's good." He said, taking his elf hat off and pushing a hand through his shoulder length hair.

"Okay, I need to say something," Alex said, blocking the door when the other teen tried to leave the small house. "You're too tall to be an elf."

"I could say the same thing about you." He retorted. "What are you, two inches taller than me?"

Alex shrugged. "There was a height limit, but no one was applying and I needed the money. What's your excuse?"

"My older brother convinced my baby sister that I was going to elf school, and this is part of my elf training. I did it for her."

Alex couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. "So you're a family guy and you're hot. By the way, you shouldn't be able to look that attractive in an elf costume. It's turning into a kink for me and that is sick. I'm gonna go to hell because of you."

The other boy chuckled and licked his bottom lip. "Sorry."

"That's all you have to say? Sorry?"

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"You should take the costume off."

He received an amused look.

"Also, we really shouldn't be hooking up in Santa's Cottage during our break."

"We're not."

"We could be. All you have to do is grab my collar and make out with me for a few minutes and then we can move on with our lives." Alex lifted one of his hands over their heads. "Also, I have mistletoe."

"That's holly."

"Close enough!" Alex grumbled, and then grinned when he was pulled forward by his collar. He opened his mouth to let the other boy's tongue slip past his lips and wrapped his arms around his neck. He briefly forgot where they stood and as he moaned into that very talented mouth, he straightened just a little, and his head bumped against the ceiling and he grunted in pain.

He glared at his co-worker when he laughed, covering his mouth to stifle it. "It's not funny!"

"It's pretty funny." He said, patting Alex's chest. "What happens in Santa's Cottage, stays in Santa's Cottage. See you later, mate."

Alex chased after him when he walked out of the little house, ignoring the disapproving looks of parents in line with their children to see Santa. "Or…hi, I'm Alex."

"Josh," he introduced himself after a second of just looking at Alex's outstretched hand. He shook it once and then turned around to continue walking in the other direction but Alex cut him off again.

"Maybe, you'd like to go to the park with me this weekend? For the Christmas tree lighting thing. We can get hot chocolate, hold hands, make out little bit more." He added with a wink.

His blue eyes studied him for a moment before he nodded slowly. "Okay, meet me under the willow tree by the pond at five, Saturday night."

"You've got yourself a date, Joshua."

"Don't call me Joshua," he mumbled, unable to hold back a smile as he went back to his job.

* * *

**(Prompt cred: maliayukiimura on tumblr) **We both work at the mall's Picture with Santa event. You shouldn't be able to look that attractive in an elf's costume and we shouldn't be hooking up in Santa's Cottage on our break.

**"I don't need a lot of presents to make my Christmas bright. I just need my baby's arms wound around me tight. Oh, Santa, hear my plea. Santa, bring my baby back to me.****" -Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me), Elvis Presely**

**-Rachel**


End file.
